Dy PM exempts worship places from tariff hike

ISLAMABAD - Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi said that the increase in gas tariff for mosques, seminaries, imam bargahs, shrines, churches and worship places of minorities had been withdrawn.He made this announcement during his meeting with the leaders of the Ittehad Tanzeemaat-e-MadarisPakistan in Islamabad Tuesday, following consultations with Pakistan Muslim League President Senator Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.The clerics held a meeting with Pervez Elahi at the Prime Minister Secretariat, which was also attended by Sahibzada Fazal Karim, Maulana Mohammad Qasim and Maulana SalimullahKhan, Mufti Muneebur Rahman, Maulana Qari Muhammad Hanif Jullundhry, Maulana Abdul Maalik, Hafiz Ammar Yasir, Maulana Muhammad Younis Butt, Dr Saeed Mohammad Najafi, Maulana AneesulHasnain Khan and others. Advisor to the Prime Minister for Industries Muhammad Basharat Raja, petroleum secretary and Ogra chairman were also present there.The clerics demanded withdrawal of a notification by Ogra issued on September 22 that excluded mosques, madaris, imam bargahs, shrines and worship places of minorities from domestic consumer category and included them into special category and fixed new slabs of gas tariff for them. The price of natural gas for worship places and institutions reached the level of commercial consumers;minimum monthly bill of Rs3,600 was fixed and fees for new connection was increased from Rs3,000 to Rs30,000 as a result of OGRA’s action.The deputy prime minister said: "Seminaries are the biggest NGOs in the world. The increase in gas tariff has been withdrawn and the gas will be supplied to all places of worship and seminaries under domestic consumertariff.”The ulema said that the worship places were purely welfare, charitable and non-profit institutions and were facilitating the poor segments of society so the slab system should also be abolished for them. Pervez Elahi said that for solving this problem, he would convene another meeting with all stakeholders.